1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pressure reducing valves, such as are used for reducing the pressure of hydraulic fluid supplied from a common high pressure source and delivered to low pressure components of a hydraulic circuit. More particularly, the invention relates to a pressure reducing valve assembly having a single, valved opening interposed between high and low pressure ports therefore providing for a simple, cost-effective, durable construction relative to more parts-intensive conventional valves.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Pressure reducing valves are commonly used when it is desired to use a common high pressure fluid source (e.g., a pump) to supply multiple components of a hydraulic circuit wherein one or more of the components require low pressure fluid and one or more of the components require high pressure fluid. For example, in a hydraulic clamping system having a single pump and multiple clamps operating at various pressure levels, a pressure reducing valve may be interposed between the high pressure hydraulic pump and one or more low pressure clamps. The valve delivers low pressure fluid to the selected clamps while allowing the remaining clamps to operate at a higher fluid pressure, thus eliminating the need for a separate hydraulic pump for each required pressure level.
A problem with prior art pressure reducing valves is that they are typically bulky and therefore require a great deal of space. This is problematic in applications where space is limited such as in clamping operations where numerous clamps requiring different fluid pressure levels may be mounted to a single fixture.
Another problem with prior art pressure reducing valves is that they are not efficiently designed and therefore include a large number of parts. This not only increases the overall size of the valves, which contributes to the problems described above, but also increases the cost and the complexity of the valves.
The present invention solves the above-described problems and provides a distinct advance in the art of pressure reducing valves by providing a pressure reducing valve assembly having a single, valved opening and limited fluid communication with a body providing a compact and efficiently designed valve with a fewer number of parts.
One embodiment of the pressure reducing valve assembly of the present invention broadly includes an elongated tubular body, a pressure reducing valve including a single, valved opening interposed between high and low pressure ports, and a pressure reducing reservoir defined substantially between the body and the pressure reducing valve. The pressure reducing reservoir comprises the only substantial fluid communication between the body and the pressure reducing valve and fluidly communicates with the high pressure port by the single, valved opening.
In preferred forms, the pressure reducing valve includes an inner chamber housing a spring that, among other functions, serves as a reset valve to further reduce the space requirements and decreasing the cost and complexity of the valve assembly.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawing figures.